Summer meeting of German and Ukrainian Agriculture 2013 "The effective use of modern agricultural machinery"

On July 11, 2013 Seed Association of Ukraine took part in the Summer meeting of representatives of German and Ukrainian agriculture. Participants discussed the issue of effective use of modern agricultural machinery.

The meeting was held by the German Agricultural Society (DLG) in cooperation with the German Embassy in Kyiv, the German agricultural center in Ukraine - DAZ and IFWexpo Heidelberg GmbH.

The purpose of the first summer meeting of German and Ukrainian agriculture was to present practical examples of the application of modern agricultural technologies and to establish new business contacts.

The meeting was opened by Dr. Christof Weil, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine, Bernd Koch on behalf of the German Agricultural Society DLG International, Germany also welcomed the participants. The following reports were presented during the event:

- Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Koller, University Hohenheim, Germany: "Effective and Sustainable Development - preservative tillage and direct seeding";

- Alexander Zhuravel, Farm "Zhyravel", Poltava region: "Efficient use of modern agricultural machinery. Economy and practice in Ukraine";

- Dr. Heinrich Shuele, German Agrarian Center in Ukraine: "Modern technology makes high demands on staff - approaches to training of agricultural specialists."

In general, the participants confirmed that Ukrainian agricultural sector takes the leading position in Ukraine's economy and it remains the industry attractive to foreign and domestic investment. Thus, in recent years the contribution of the agricultural sector of Ukraine to the overall country’s economic development has increased significantly. Due to its production activity agricultural enterprises form a significant part of revenue from exports of Ukraine, as well as represent a growing market for distribution of seeds, agricultural chemicals, machinery and so on.

However, in the mid and long-term prospects, it is important to continue the development of such business relations for mutual benefit. One of the decisive factors in increasing the competitiveness of Ukrainian agricultural sector is to increase efficiency through the use of innovative technologies.